Ascending & Reforging Guide

Learn all about the intricacies of Ascending and Reforging:

Ascending

Q: What is Ascending?

Ascending is the process in which to increase your Legendary or Exotic Attack/Light level.

Q: How do I Ascend?

Etheric Light for Legendary items and Exotic Shards for Exotic items.

Q: Where do you get Etheric Light and how often does it drop?

Etheric Light comes from Nightfalls, Prison of Elders, Trials of Osiris, and Lord Saladin at Rank 3 & 5. It’s unknown how often this will drop, or in what quantity.

Q: Can I Ascend _____ Legendary or Exotic?

Yes, any Legendary or Exotic can be Ascended at anytime, as long as you have Etheric Light (Legendary) or Exotic Shards (Exotic).

Q: When Ascending armor, how much does the Light increase? How much do the attributes increase?

All armor, when fully Ascended (and upgraded if pre-HoW), will reach 42 Light.

Intellect/Discipline/Strength will increase by about 5-15 points. It’s unknown if Xur will also offer a way to increase these attributes even further, but currently Ascending is the only known way to increase them.

Q: When can I Ascend an item? Can I Ascend pre-HoW items without any experience/upgrade nodes filled in?

You can Ascend an item immediately, as long as you have the necessary materials. You can Ascend pre-HoW items (with the old nodes) immediately as well, but you’ll eventually need to fill in those nodes to take full advantage of Ascension.

Q: Can you Ascend a max 300 Attack weapon to 365?

Yes, any max weapon or armor, when Ascended, will reach the House of Wolves maximum.

Q: Can _____ Legendary armor allow me to reach level 34?

Yes, you can equip a set of any Legendary armor and reach level 34. The armor must be Ascended to 42 Light though. Any armor, once fully Ascended (and upgraded – if it’s a pre-HoW item), will reach 42 Light.

Q: How many Ascended Legendary pieces do I need to reach level 34?

4 Ascended pieces. 4*42 = 168 Light = level 34.

Q: What is the maximum Attack/Light? Can my Legendary/Exotic _____ reach that maximum?

365 Attack & 42 Light is the HoW max. Any Ascended Legendary/Exotic can reach that maximum. This means new and old vendor armor/weapons, raid armor/weapons, or any other Legendary/Exotic can reach the House of Wolves maximum.

Q: Will items introduced in the House of Wolves have Attack/Defense nodes?